Palfinger Cracks French Offshore Wind Market

Palfinger has won a contract to provide 73 boom cranes for the Fécamp offshore wind farm in France.

The order marks Palfinger’s entry into the French offshore wind market.

The 71 PF14000-4.5 LDB fixed boom cranes will lift materials and tools from the supply vessel onto the laydown area of the transition deck during the installation and commissioning of the wind turbines.

Furthermore, the cranes will be used during routine inspection and service work throughout the turbines’ operational life, and possibly during emergency evacuations.

In addition to the 71 fixed boom davits, Palfinger will deliver two PTM600-20m telescopic boom cranes to the offshore wind farm’s operations and maintenance (O&M) base for loading and unloading materials and equipment to and from crew transfer vessels (CTVs).

As soon as Palfinger won the Fécamp bid, preparations for the deliveries of the cranes began, the company said. The estimated delivery of the first cranes is scheduled for May 2021.

“The Fécamp offshore wind farm project offered an opportunity that we couldn’t let slip by. Winning this project has opened the door for PALFINGER to the French offshore wind market and significantly strengthens our footprint in the European offshore wind industry,” Nikolaj Bæk Rosenkrantz, Palfinger’s Sales Manager Wind, said.

“Apart from that, this project has been an invaluable experience so far. We’ve been leading close dialogues, making full use of our synergies and working on solutions that will perfectly meet the customer’s requirements.”

Located between 13 and 22 kilometres off the Normandy coast, the Fécamp offshore wind farm will comprise 71 Siemens Gamesa SWT-7.0-154 offshore wind turbines installed on gravity-based foundations.

The 497 MW wind farm is being jointly developed by Eolien Maritime France (EMF), a joint venture between the French company EDF Renouvelables and the Canadian company Enbridge, and wpd offshore.

Offshore construction is scheduled to start in 2022 and the wind farm is expected to be fully commissioned by the end of 2023.